With the first No. 1 pick in the history of their franchise, the Suns surprised no one by taking Arizona center Deandre Ayton at the top spot of the 2018 NBA Draft’s board. The 19-year-old averaged 20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists for the Wildcats and has been compared by Bleacher Report to free agent Demarcus Cousins. The majority of mock drafts had Ayton going first and he had been heavily linked to the Suns during the weeks leading up to the draft, openly expressing his desire to be taken as the top pick and signing an Ayton Suns jersey two days prior to being picked.
After his selection, the big man out of the Bahamas flashed the inside of his jacket, lined with the Bahamian, Jamaican, and Nigerian flag, and spoke on what the pick meant for him and his family.
“It means the world to me,” Ayton said per ESPN. “My family and coaches know the hard work I put into this game to really try and be successful and achieve all my goals and we put God first in everything we do, no matter what type of trials … we went through we had faith in everything we do to be successful.”
At No. 2, the Kings chose Duke forward Marvin Bagley III, a big Bleacher Report compared to retired All-NBA forward Amar’e Stoudemire. Bagley averaged 21 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in his lone season with the Blue Devils.
The Mavericks and Hawks made an early top-of-the-board trade that sent the No. 3 pick, Luka Doncic, to the Mavs, giving the Hawks the No. 5 pick in Trae Young, and a future first round pick. While the chatter on Twitter continued regarding Young’s UPS brown jacket with shorts, Quavo from the rap trio Migos tweeted his approval of his hometown Hawks’ pick of the Oklahoma guard with a ‘#THATSWATWENEED.’
With the fourth selection, the Grizzlies picked Michigan State forward Jaren Jackson Jr. The 18-year-old averaged 10.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists for the Spartans, and has been compared by Bleacher Report to Raptor forward, Serge Ibaka. Jackson’s father, Jaren Jackson Sr., played 12 seasons in the NBA after going undrafted and won the 1999 title with the Spurs. At the draft, Jackson Jr.’s mother, Terri Jackson was wearing the championship ring her husband won in the same year their son was born.
The Magic took Texas center Mohamed Bamba at No. 6. The 20-year-old averaged 12.9 points and 10.5 rebounds with the Longhorns. Bleacher Report compares Bamba to Jazz center Rudy Gobert.
Wendell Carter Jr. was chosen at No. 7 by the Chicago Bulls. The 19-year-old, who averaged 13.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists with Duke has been compared by Bleacher Report to Cavalier forward Kevin Love.
The Cavaliers took Alabama guard Collin Sexton with the No. 8 pick. The 19-year-old combo guard, averaged 19.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists as a freshman. Bleacher Report compares him to Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe. Sexton has also inquired about wearing No. 2, the old Cavaliers number of Celtics guard Kyrie Irving.
Kevin Knox was drafted at No. 9 by the Knicks, much to the apparent dismay of their fan base. The Knicks fans present at the draft chanted “We want [Michael] Porter,” booing the pick of Knox, much like they did with their fourth pick in the 2015 draft, Kristaps Porzingis. Despite the Knicks fans displeasure, scouts believe Knox, who raised public speculation of himself going ninth after answering “We got a new coach” in a pre-draft interview question regarding David Fizdale, is a good choice. The comparison made by Bleacher Report is Kelly Oubre Jr..
Mikal Bridges was taken No. 10 by the Sixers and later dealt to the Suns for their No. 17 pick in Zhaire Smith and the 2021 first round Heat pick. Cruelly for Bridges, the trade was completed right as he was being interviewed in his Sixer hat, excited at the prospect of playing for his hometown team. Instead, the Suns will be gaining his services, who Bleacher Report compares to Tony Snell.
Kentucky’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, compared by Bleacher Report to Suns guard Elfrid Payton, was picked at No. 11 by the Hornets and promptly traded to the Clippers for the No. 12 pick in Miles Bridges and two future second round picks.
Michael Porter Jr., the Missouri University forward coveted by Knicks fans had previously been projected to fall within the top 10 in a good amount of mock drafts. Due to a back injury that sidelined him for most of his freshman year however, this was not to be, as his medical history scared teams away. He was instead picked at No. 14 by the Nuggets. Porter told ESPN he will make sure he is “the best player the Nuggets have ever drafted.” The 19-year-old was described by Bleacher Report to be a bigger Andrew Wiggins.
The Bucks selected Villanova NCAA tournament hero Donte DiVincenzo with the No. 17 pick. DiVincenzo averaged 13.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in his junior year with the Wildcats. Bleacher Report compares him to Heat guard Tyler Johnson.
Amid the Kawhi Leonard saga, Lonnie Walker IV was chosen by the Spurs at No. 18. Walker averaged 11.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists as a wing for Miami University. He is compared to Pacer guard Victor Oladipo by Bleacher Report.
The Jazz picked Duke’s Grayson Allen at No. 21, a guard Bleacher Report compares to Delonte West. Allen averaged 14.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in four years with the Blue Devils.
Moritz Wagner was selected at No. 25 by the Lakers. Bleacher Report compares the shooting forward to Frank Kaminsky. The German big man averaged 10.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in three years with Michigan.
The full results of the draft can be found below:
First Round
1. Suns: DeAndre Ayton (C) – Arizona2. Kings: Marvin Bagley (F) – Duke3. Mavs (from Hawks): Luka Doncic (G) – Real Madrid4. Grizzlies: Jaren Jackson Jr (F/C) – Michigan State5. Hawks (from Mavs): Trae Young (G) – Oklahoma State6. Magic: Mo Bamba (C) – Texas7. Bulls: Wendell Carter (C) – Duke8. Cavs (from Nets via Celtics): Collin Sexton (G) – Alabama9. Knicks: Kevin Knox (F) – Kentucky10. Suns (from Lakers via Sixers): Mikal Bridges (G/F) – Villanova11. Clippers (via Hornets): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (G) – Kentucky12. Hornets (from Pistons via Clippers): Miles Bridges (F) – Michigan State13. Clippers: Jerome Robinson (G) – Boston College14. Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr (F) – Missouri15. Wizards: Troy Brown (G) – Oregon16. Sixers (from Heat via Suns): Zhaire Smith (G) – Texas Tech17. Bucks: Donte DiVincenzo (G) – Villanova18. Spurs: Lonnie Walker (G) – Miami19. Hawks (from Wolves): Kevin Huerter (G) – Maryland20. Wolves (from Thunder via Jazz): Josh Okogie (G/F) – Georgia Tech21. Jazz: Grayson Allen (G) – Duke22. Bulls (from Pelicans): Chandler Hutchison (G/F) – Boise State23. Pacers: Aaron Holiday (G) – UCLA24. Blazers: Anfernee Simons (G) – IMG Academy25. Lakers (from Cavs via Blazers, Cavs): Moe Wagner (F/C) – Michigan26. Sixers: Landry Shamet (G) – Wichita State27. Celtics: Robert Williams (F/C) – Texas A&M28. Warriors: Jacob Evans (G/F) – Cincinnati29. Nets: Dzanan Musa (F) – Bosnia and Herzegovina30. Hawks (from Rockets via Clippers): Omari Spellman (F/C) – Villanova
Second Round
31. Suns: Elie Okobo (G) – France32. Grizzlies: Jevon Carter (G) – West Virginia33. Mavs: Jalen Brunson (G) – Villanova34. Hornets (from Hawks): Devonte Graham (G) – Kansas35. Magic: Melvin Frazier (G/F) – Tulane36. Knicks (from Bulls via Thunder): Mitchell Robinson (C)37. Blazers (from Kings): Gary Trent Jr (G) – Duke38. Pistons (from Nets via Sixers): Khyri Thomas (G) – Creighton39. Lakers (from Knicks via Sixers): Isaac Bonga (F) – Germany40. Nets (from Lakers via Magic, Raptors): Rodions Kurucs (F) – Latvia41. Nuggets (from Hornets via Magic, Grizzlies, Suns): Jarred Vanderbilt (F) – Kentucky42. Pistons: Bruce Brown Jr (G) – Miami43. Nuggets (from Clippers via Knicks): Justin Jackson (F) – Maryland44. Wizards: Issuf Sanon (G) – Ukraine45. Nets (from Bucks): Hamidou Diallo (G) – Kentucky46. Rockets (from Heat via Grizzlies): De’Anthony Melton (G) – USC47. Lakers (from Nuggets via Jazz, Bulls): Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (G) – Kansas48. Wolves: Keita Bates-Diop (F) – Ohio State49. Spurs: Chimezie Metu (F/C) – USC50. Pacers: Alize Johnson (F) – Missouri State51. Pelicans (from Bulls via Pelicans, Heat): Tony Carr (G) – Penn State52. Rockets (from Jazz): Vince Edwards (F) – Purdue53. Thunder: Devon Hall (G) – Virginia54. Sixers (from Blazers via Mavs, Nuggets): Shake Milton (G) – SMU55. Hornets (from Cavs via Nets, Sixers): Arnoldas Kulboka (F) – Lithuania56. Mavs (from Sixers): Ray Spalding (F) – Louisville57. Thunder (from Celtics): Kevin Hervey (F) – Texas Arlington58. Nuggets (from Warriors): Thomas Welsh (C) – UCLA59. Suns (from Raptors): George King (F) – Colorado60. Mavs (from Rockets via Sixers): Kostas Antetokounmpo (F) – Dayton